Oh, Really?
by IDespiseTragedy
Summary: Love stories between not-so-likely Code Geass canon characters post-series. Different pairing for each chapter: Gino Weinberg x Kouzuki Kallen; Nonette Enneagram x Gilbert G. P. Guilford; Anya Alstreim x Jeremiah Gottwald.
1. Gino x Kallen

Title: **Oh Really?**

Description: Love stories between not-so-likely Code Geass canon characters post-series

Disclaimer: _Code Geass_ is Sunrise's property

What to expect: angsty romance with a dash of action, some poetry and non-graphic limes between straight couples.

Author's Note: I shall gladly accept any correction — be it spelling, punctuation, grammatical or misinformation. Again, I use British English for this story.

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This chapter's warning: unpleasant Kallen (sorry Kallen, I don't dislike you, but my plot requires you to behave obnoxiously); initial rape followed by consensual sex — though nothing too graphic.

I'm unsure whether a Sutherland-type knightmare has a loudspeaker, but for this fanfic, let's pretend it does, so as to allow the pilot's voice to be audible to the audience outside.

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CHAPTER I

**A Forsaken Promise: Gino Weinberg x Kouzuki Kallen**

'You are one minute twenty six seconds late!' snapped a scarlet-haired girl.

'My apology, Miss Stadfeld.' Her speaking adversary, a blonde boy with costly-looking garment, answered her sincerely before pulling a chair opposite the irate girl.

'How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?'

The coffee shop customers, waiters and waitresses all turned to the source of the sudden yell.

Smiling gently, the Knight of Three attempted to calm the ex-pilot of Guren SEITEN. 'Just joking, Kallen. I–'

'Who allowed you to be too friendly?' A petulant remark cut off his genial explanation.

'Kouzuki-san, I'm sorry. I really am.'

'Hmph.' Kallen folded her arms across her chest and cast an angry glance outside the window. Even so, she could still see the reflection of her date's puppy eyes on the window glass. She knew it was his job, rather than anything else, that delayed him; this had happened before. He never made any excuse and she would not ask for it.

'What are you standing there for? Sit!' Another snappish command.

Soundlessly, Gino did as he was told. His eyes were fixed onto the table and his hands placed neatly on his lap.

It was plain to see the two of them looked like a queen and her slave rather than a couple. Some of the other coffee shop customers started to murmur in disapproval: How could someone from a distinguished noble family such as Weinberg allow himself to be treated as such by some common girl? Of course, little did they know of what had truly transpired between these two.

The two of them had been comrades during the Black Knights Rebellion and considered each other as a good friend … until the fight against Lancelot Albion. Kallen never forgave Gino for saving her after her battle with Suzaku. If only her life had expired back then, she would not have suffered the loss from Lelouch's death. Gino, on the contrary, tried everything he could to console the bereft girl and never gave up no matter how little his possibility of success was.

'I don't need your pity, Knight of Three!' was what she told him when he asked her out nearly two months ago.

'Sure you don't. Why would a beautiful, tough, and intelligent young lady such as yourself need any pity?'

With a sigh she replied, 'Then will you stay out of my sight? You've got no business with me, have you?'

'As a matter of fact, I'm thinking of inviting you for a movie.' A dazzling smile graced his lips.

'Keep that as a thought then, 'cause I'm not going!'

She stepped away from him as quickly as she could. Unfortunately, he was able to keep her pace and walked steadily behind her until, at length, she hollered, 'Give it a rest, Weinberg!'

'If I refuse?'

Kallen glared at him.

'A duel perhaps?' the young nobleman suggested.

'A duel it is. Never disturb me again if you lose!'

'And you will let me approach you upon my victory, I suppose?'

With utmost displeasure, she affirmed, 'I will.'

Gino led her to the hangar where Weinberg family private knightmares were kept. Kallen was confident she would win, but she couldn't be too careful in facing a Knight of Round. Gino was defeated by Suzaku and Suzaku lost to her once. She could not deny the level of technology differences in their knightmare frames, however, but today she was going to stand against Gino on equal ground.

'Please pick your choice.' The youngest son of the Weinberg family offered his guest.

Kallen climbed into a random Sutherland whereas Gino into another. It had been months since she last piloted; she never touched another knightmare after Guren SEITEN.'s destruction — just as the late ninety-ninth emperor of Holy Britannia had wished.

'I'm sorry Lelouch; I'm going to fight today.' The ex-Q1 activated her Sutherland, her face apologetic but stern.

Kallen attacked first, but Gino managed to dodge her. Activating her Slash Harkens, Kallen advanced again, but the fourth son of Lord Weinberg was sure quick to evade.

As expected from the Knight of Three, the combat was challenging. It did not take long for Gino to get accustomed to Kallen's attack pattern and even learnt to launch the deadliest of the offences when she was least expecting them.

Nonetheless, Kouzuki Kallen did not become the Order of Black Knight's best pilot for nothing. Months of absence from piloting practice could do little against her true skills; within minutes, she had already adapted to the Sutherland's system and manoeuvred it flawlessly. Now it became Gino's turn to get cornered.

Still, it was too early to rejoice. The feisty young Weinberg soon turned the table with his Tonfas. But not for long: Zero's ex-personal bodyguard tackled him by the calf and paralysed him with her Stun Gun. It was when she pointed her handheld Assault Riffle onto the head of his Sutherland Frame, a sudden realisation came to her: he was losing on purpose.

Kallen shot the riffle upwards. Before the dropped bullets touched the floor, however, Gino's Sutherland was elevated in mid air — not because he activated his Sutherland's Float System, but because she gripped him by the hollow of his knightmare frame's throat. 'Do you think I'd appreciate an opponent who held back his strength just because I'm a girl?'

Her furious remark reverberated in the otherwise soundless hangar. They both knew his reason for losing had nothing to do with this, but he thought it was best to let silence preside over them.

A wise choice. Seconds later, she spoke with strict, yet calmer tone, 'Resume the duel!'

Fifty minutes later, the Weinberg butler appeared by the door. Upon seeing one Sutherland lay on the floor whereas the other stood erect and extending its arm to help the opponent to stand, the butler cleared his throat, 'Excuse me, young master. Would you and your guest care to have some tea?'

He felt relieved as his young master's voice answered him from inside the Sutherland who stood firm on its two legs. 'Thank you Derrick, that would be lovely. It's a beautiful weather outside, so we shall have the tea in the garden.'

The butler bowed and left.

Inside the Sutherland, Kallen half regretted her decision to resume their duel. Now, as a compensation of her pride, she would have to endure Gino's courtship for God knew how long. She could only hope he grew bored of her quite soon, never expecting that this '_soon'_ could mean a '_lifetime'_ for a headstrong Weinberg.

Ejecting herself from the Sutherland, she followed Gino onto the garden. He offered his arm as was proper for a gentleman; yet, she walked further away from him with disgruntled expression instead.

All those had happened seven weeks prior. Since that day, Gino had been attempting to call Kallen by her given name, but she never let him call her other than 'Kouzuki-san'. Each time he tried to get closer to her, he'd get a scowl and a reproach, just like today.

After sitting for half an hour with no words exchanged between them and his glance never went off from the table, Gino finally heard Kallen break the silence, 'Let's go!'

Like a dog wagging his tail at his master's command, Gino's face brimmed with joy at once. He paid her bill — he merely shook his head when the waitress offered him the menu earlier and sat opposite her without consuming anything — and opened his car door for her, since a waiter had already had the _honour_ of opening the coffee shop door.

'Is there any particular place that you would like to visit, Kouzuki-san?' he made the same enquiry on every date and got the same wry answer every time he did so.

Today was no exception. 'Anywhere without your presence, Lord Weinberg.'

'_Lord Weinberg_'. There used to be days when Kallen called him '_Gino_'; and yet, those days had ended since the blond started courting the redhead. Each time she said his full honorific, a pang of guilt made itself present on his face. With an apologetic smile, he would then proceeded with a suggestion. Zoo, amusement park, cinema, shopping arcade, horse race, museum, art workshop — he had chosen them for her so far. Today, he asked, 'Do you mind having a picnic?'

'Not that my answer mattered anyway,' she replied indifferently.

He drove the car onto a plateau in the countryside. The grass was lush as could be and the air was pleasant. One of Weinberg's private villas was there, surrounded by many a verdant tree.

Gino only stayed within the edifice long enough to prepare the picnic kit. Then he went outside, spreading the mat and placing the food and crockery all by himself. He only invited her to join him _after_ everything was set in place.

Whenever Gino asked Kallen about her school life or life in general, she always answered him with 'fine' or 'nothing out of the ordinary'. Whenever he asked her about her favourite food or movies, she always answered him with 'whatever' or 'anything will do'. Whenever he asked her whether she would tell him _anything_ about her, she always answered him with a single 'no'. Hence, Gino had no choice but to tell her about him instead to keep them communicating. She _heard_ him, but never really _listened_.

'There are some pastry crumbs on your chin,' he said.

Already suspecting that he would use this opportunity to wipe her himself, Kallen frowned at him. But he extended his hand only to offer her his immaculate white handkerchief.

'No, thanks.' She cleansed herself with the back of her hand.

He did not seem to be hurt; ample experiences in dealing with her pride had forged him with enough tolerance not to be offended by such a trifle.

As droplets of rain began to tumble a few minutes later, Gino suggested that they go inside the villa. This time, Kallen helped him carrying some of their picnic kit back to the kitchen. She was surprised, however, to find nobody inside. The vacant villa seemed quite organised, as if it had been cleaned on daily basis.

'I thought you had a servant prepare the picnic ingredients,' she admitted.

'They were indeed prepared by the caretaker, Mr Fraser, but he drove home after his tasks were done.'

Kallen disliked the idea that she and Gino were practically alone in such a secluded area. 'Hurry up unpacking those, so that we can go home!'

'All right,' he replied, 'in the meantime, what would you like to drink?'

'We've just had some lemonade. I'm not thirsty.'

'Would you rather keep me company then?'

She glared at him before turning her heels and slammed the kitchen door.

Kallen waited in the living room. Sitting on a sofa, she enjoyed the view of her environmental surroundings. This particular room was built underneath a gigantic aquarium; hence, it looked as if she had been inside an underwater glass cavern. Apart from the granite floor below, everywhere else was fish and water. Minutes by minutes passed by; still, Kallen did not find it boring to watch the colourful tropical fish swimming here and there, or sometimes hiding behind the coral reefs. It was serene, so relaxing; she could even hear the sound of the singing kettle from the kitchen.

'CRASH!'

A clattering sound followed. Some crockery must be falling on the floor. Inwardly, Kallen debated whether or not she should help Gino, but decided the latter. Several silent minutes later, she perceived his footsteps approaching.

He handed her a mug of frothy hot chocolate sprinkled with a swirl of cocoa dust but no cream — just the way she always ordered it at many different cafés during their dates.

No word of gratitude slipped from her mouth. Her eyes narrowing, she demanded, 'How long do you intend to keep bugging me?'

He simply smiled and said, 'As long as I live.'

Kallen took the mug from Gino's hand. She did not bring the cup towards her mouth, though, for she splashed its tepid content at his face, challenging him, 'Even if I do this on each of our date?'

He shut his eyes momentarily, but did not budge. When his eyes were snapped open again, no trace of anger resided in there. Resolute words spilled from his mouth, 'Even if you do it on each of our date.'

Refraining herself from rolling her eyes, Kallen ordered, 'Cleanse yourself; it's disgusting to see the chocolate in your hands dripping onto my clothes!'

Gino took off his attire.

'Not here!' she rebuked him, 'Are you out of your mind?'

But he prevented her from leaving her seat, encumbering her with his weight and overpowering her struggling body with sheer force of masculinity. He pushed himself onto her. Inside her. Gino's flesh hurt her, but the fact that he actually chose to do so excruciated her. He broke his promise not to touch her until she was , Kouzuki Kallen would not cry. It was bad enough he saw her defeat; surely she would not give him the pleasure of seeing her getting frustrated over it. No! She retaliated by mentioning the very name she knew it'd torture him, 'Lelouch!'

At some point during his action, Gino had prepared himself for this. But when the very word came out of Kallen's mouth, it tormented him more than he could have estimated, more than he could withstand. Soon he found himself nuzzling at the crook of her neck.

She certainly did not expect the dampness on her upper drapery. The moment his tears flowed onto her, a feeling of remorse invaded her mind. Uninvitedly. Inevitably.

She reached for his back. She did not know why she did it; all she knew was that she was hugging him tenderly. As much as she was unwilling to admit it, she could not deny that the non-verbal communication between them had somehow become comfortable. She even started stroking his golden hair, lost in thoughts.

They had been going out for nearly two months now, but a kiss was out of question; she would not even let him go as far as to touch her hand. Today, all the boundaries had been trespassed, all the walls between them had been broken, and all that was there between them now was sincerity.

'I'm sorry,' he finally broke the silence, 'I should have been gentler.' He tore himself from her embrace to meet her eyes.

'You shouldn't have done it at all!' crossly she corrected him.

'No, I won't regret that. The memory of it will become my treasure for as long as I breathe.'

Kallen did not know whether she should slap him or hug him again.

'I was a virgin until minutes ago,' he continued.

'You _what_?'

'Well, I've never really interested in anything apart from knightmare piloting, so…'

'But you're a good-looking aristocrat; loads of girls out there are mad about you!' she added, 'Possibly boys too.'

'They are not you. They are not the ones I love.'

She gave a dry reply, 'You seem to confuse love with pity.'

'If pity is the only thing I feel about you, why would I do this?' and before she knew it, her lips were occupied by his convulsive, impudent and yet luscious kiss.

For a fleeting moment, she did not know how to react. But when reasons found their way back to her senses, she began to push him away.

_He is no Lelouch; how dare he! _Kallen gritted her teeth.

'You are a kind-hearted girl, Kallen.'

'No, I'm not! And don't get cocky just because you screwed me once!'

'Kallen…'

'I won't permit you call me that!'

But this time, Gino was not going to obey. 'Kallen, you treat me coldly only because you want to shake me off. But I know it pains your heart to behave as such, for you are a kind girl by nature.'

'What do you know about me?'

'You gave up your lunch for a starving kid on the street.' He pecked her lightly on the forehead.

_Did he see me?_

'You volunteered to supply medicines to war casualties.' He pecked her again, on the cheekbone this time.

_How long has he been spying on me?_

'You wrote petitions about better subsidy for the poor.' He pecked her near the corner of her lips.

_He even knows that?_

'Your beauty and piloting skill took my breath away.' He kissed her lips. Fully. Deeply. Passionately.

She opened her mouth to utter her disapproval, but this only granted him the access he was seeking for and thus enabled him to turn her muffled protests into moans. Kallen gasped at this grave mistake: she was not supposed to respond to his kiss!

'Let go of me!' she demanded with flushed face.

'But you're the one who is clinging on me, dear Kallen.'

Kallen looked at her hands; they indeed clung desperately onto Gino's broad shoulders. She could not hide her embarrassment and blushed even more fiercely.

'I hate you!' she turned away and tried to get up. She'd rather travel on foot than spend another minute with him. Only … he would not let her!

Catching her by the wrist, he pulled her onto himself in a twirl. Next, he bombarded her with onslaught of kisses. She surrendered — not so involuntarily — in his embrace.

The next morning, the two souls were curling up on the crumpled bed sheet. She pretended to gaze at the raindrops outside his bedroom window, while stealing a glance or two onto the handsome face lying next to her.

The man beside her was not Zero, Lelouch Lamperouge, Lelouch vi Britannia, The Demon Emperor or whatever people used to call him. No, this was Gino Weinberg — someone who shared his life with her, someone who loved her with all his heart, someone who was more than a mere idol. Perhaps it was time for her to let go of the past shadow and started a new page of her own.

Gino smiled, held her close, stroke her hair and whispered, '_Aishiteru_, Kallen'. And this time she responded with the words he had been longing to hear for months.

'I love you too, Gino.'


	2. Nonnette x Gilbert

This chapter's warning: some poetry

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CHAPTER II

**The Twisted Kind of Love: Nonette Enneagram x Gilbert G. P. Guilford**

Cornelia li Britannia. That was what spellbound two unlikely individuals to share their bed; it was not that Gilbert G. P. Guilford found Nonette Enneagram particularly attractive or the other way round. Two different persons, same unreachable goal. The second princess of the holy empire of Britannia would not spare a thought for love life; all her devotions were poured into the country's welfare. It was just a matter of time when the twisted kind of love was formed between personal knight of the second princess and the Knight of Nine. Love. Love? Did such thing even exist between them? Apart from mutual need, what else was there?

The day he was appointed to be Cornelia's personal knight, Guilford pondered:

_From the verdant meadows _

_To the brimming oceans_

_This Britannia stands proud_

_Thou art one in the world _

_The Lord God's favour'd land!_

_Glorious Britannia_

_Ceaselessly expanding_

_Unto the edge of earth_

_Through boundless wavy seas_

_Shalt thy kingdom take form _

_O Lord, her highness bless _

_The bringer of victory_

_The trampler of heathens_

_The true light in the dark_

_Her royal blood guide us_

_Heaven be by my side_

_Justice be my sword_

_Honour be my shield_

_My life I'll gladly give_

_Protect that one Princess_

_Remarkable country_

_Where ancient fame abides,_

_Thine is my heart and soul; _

_O Majestic Lady,_

_Thine is my loyalty._

To Nonette, on the other hand, love found its way more slowly. When Cornelia had first come to the academy, Nonette presumed her lilac haired underclassman would be as spoiled, frolic and haughty as a pampered princess could be. And yet, Cornelia proved to be far more competent, responsible and disciplined than many others. In fact, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she was the best student in her year.

What had been a curiosity started to grow to be an admiration, and the admiration grew into friendship. They frequently sparred and had tea together, but during all those years spent in the academy, Nonette never pictured Cornelia in her mind romantically. It was not until her graduation ceremony almost ended that she started to realise how much she was going to miss the princess. But even then, she was unsure that that was love, for who'd have thought _the_ Nonette Enneagram would turn out to be a lesbian?

Nevertheless, Eros couldn't care less whether or not his target was an exemplary student, the highest score holder of the year and even had the same gender as her love interest. Eros had always shot his arrows indiscriminately and he would still do so. Nonette could only confirm her feeling after she experienced emptiness in life without Cornelia.

As soon a she graduated, Nonette was admitted into a prominent company with a far higher salary than what a normal fresh graduate acquired. With such a promising future, everybody wondered what on earth caused Nonette to resign and joined the military instead.

Of course, that she did so for the sake of reunion with Cornelia remained a secret until today. Back in their academy days, the second princess mentioned her ambition of strengthening Britannia through military mobilisation; joining the military was Nonette's only option — the only appropriate reason — to meet the girl of her dream.

It was not long before her achievements appeased the high officials and Nonette rose to become one of the Knights of Round. It worked to certain extent. She caught Cornelia's attention, but as a dedicated soldier rather than a prospective lover.

At first, Nonette felt jealous to Gilbert, as she noticed the way he looked at the princess secretly … it was as if she had meant the world to him!

As times went by, Nonette learnt that he, too, suffered from unrequited love. And she sympathised him. Still, it never crossed her mind to approach Cornelia's personal knight … not until he survived from the FLEIA (Field Limitary Effective Implosion Armament) bomb explosion — blind, but alive nevertheless.

When Cornelia's whereabouts was unknown after her battle with Zero, Nonette certainly cursed Gilbert, muttering how incompetent she was in guarding the princess. When it was Gilbert who was reported to have lost in action, she was seriously thinking of taking up his position. She did offer Cornelia — well, requested, to be precise — to be his replacement, but the princess had no intention of having any other knight but GilbertG. P. Guilford, sightless as he was. Furthermore, she caught glance of a photograph on the princess' desk — the wedding photo of Ohgi Kaname and Viletta Nu, where Gilbert was standing next to Cornelia.

Naturally, all these drove Nonette into an even more immense jealousy. Still, she would not let her emotion got over logic: there must be certain quality that made Gilbert worthy of Cornelia's favour and this was what she ought to find out. Thus, the _Investigating Guilford_ Operation began.

Guilford was never an affable bachelor before and with his current blindness, he became even more difficult to approach. He would use things like practising reading and writing in Braille as excuses to keep him away from socialising. Nonette knew, nevertheless, that it was not shame that made him do so, but pure devotion. He was worried lest his disability would hinder him from being Cornelia's knight. He wanted the best for her. _His_ best.

Perhaps because it was something beyond her grasp. Perhaps because she admired how such a blind person struggled to give his best to his beloved instead of giving up. Perhaps because Cornelia thought so highly of him. Perhaps because Nonette pitied him. Or perhaps because a mixture of them all, but whichever it was, gradually Nonette found it difficult to distinguish whether she was jealous over Gilbert or over Cornelia whenever she saw them conversing or walking together. Could be over both.

'Lord Guilford,' Nonette cornered him onto a deserted room within the palace one day, 'I challenge you. Let the loser abide to the winner's behest!'

'I don't see there is any need for this.'

'Of course you don't see it. You're blind!'

'What's going on with all the sudden childish behaviour, Knight of Nine?'

'Didn't you know I've been itching to try you out all these years?'

'Then why didn't you challenge me back then?'

'Afraid you're going to lose because of your blindness? Going to use it as an excuse to turn tail from me? Or are you crippled now, after all, you did use a crutch for a couple of months?' she mocked.

Gilbert did not reply, so Nonette taunted him again, 'And you call yourself Her Highness Princess Cornelia's knight?'

Her provocation hit him hard.

'_En garde_!' He withdrew his sword, brought its pommel to his mouth in salutation, and positioned his arms and legs as was proper for a stance.

He might be the man who was once called '_the Spearhead of the Empire_', and if Nonette had been honest, Gilbert's '_stesso tempo_' — parrying and riposting in one action — was quite a sight to see. Nonetheless, this was fencing — her best subject from kindergarten hitherto, the very subject that brought Cornelia and many other excellent fencers down on their knees.

Even though Gilbert was careful enough not to get entrapped by Nonette's '_invitation_' — positioning that intentionally exposed openings to purposely draw attacks — Cornelia's knight still failed to predict Nonette's '_redoppio'_ — diagonal rising cut — which was aimed at him while he was delivering a '_stocatta_ _lunga_' — a lunge and low straight thrust. He was overcome before he had a chance for any '_remise'_.

'Do you admit defeat Lord Guilford?'

_Let the loser abide to the winner's behest!_ Gilbert inhaled and clenched his jaws simultaneously. 'What is your wish, Ms Enneagram?'

'It's Miss. But I'd rather you call me Nonette from now on.'

Whatever was in Gilbert's mind, it was surely not this. 'I beg your pardon?'

'You heard me. Now kiss me!'

Gilbert neither did nor said anything for a while. Eventually, when he made his reply, his voice was thick with restrained rage. 'There are limits even for jokes, Knight of Nine. Today is not even the first of April; you are going too far!'

Nonette now swept up with air of impatience. She tangled Gilbert's lips with her own, while encircling his back with her arms. It was not a romantic embrace; rather, it was a forceful grip to prevent him from backing off.

He did not respond to her kiss. Instead, after she pulled out at last, he told her, 'I'm sorry, I can't accept your feeling,' and turned to step away.

Nonetheless, she had foreseen that much. 'I never expect you to … not with Princess Cornelia in our mind anyway.'

The mention of this very name made Gilbert halt and even swerve.

'You are not the only one who one-sidedly loves her,' she told him.

He swallowed a guilty gulp. 'Be that as it may, it does not mean we ought to be … together.'

'You are talking to the wrong person if you were to discuss what ought to be or not to be. I only do what I want. I want you. And I'm not going to give up simply because of your refusal.'

'What about my right to choose?'

'What about your honour to keep an agreement "Let the loser abide to the winner's behest!"?'

Gilbert spoke nothing.

Nonette told him in softer tone, 'Rest assured, I shall not demand a lifelong devotion. Just give me a month. Let me feel how it is to be loved…' then she continued with an undertone, '… since my loved one won't love me back.'

Approaching the Knight of Nine, the second princess' personal knight kissed her hard without further warning. Nonette shuddered. It was as if all Gilbert's affection — all he felt for Cornelia all these years — had been pouring themselves into her. Her knees started buckling; he could not see them, but he could hear her sigh of pleasure and felt her trembling body under the pressure of his fingers. He took her in his arms — bride-style — while deepening their kiss, and then carried her to bed.

At first, both of them had to imagine they had been making love to Cornelia, but somewhere during the process, things gradually changed. Under the unfurled blanket of passion, he realised it was Nonette's limbs that held him tight instead of Cornelia's. Under the rain of his sweat, she realised it was Gilbert's flesh that caressed her tenderly instead of Cornelia's. Under night's indispensable darkness, they melted in each other's embrace.

When Gilbert was fast asleep, Nonette gazed at him. Never before she felt so weak before a man, but when she was with him, she desired nothing but an absolute surrender to this tacit conqueror. There wasn't even any room within her to spare a thought for Cornelia. Every single cell of her, every bit of it, was solely thinking of Gilbert G. P. Guilford during their bedding session. But this could not be. This must_not_ be! In another twenty-nine days, he'd no longer be here.

Easier said than done!

Gilbert was a fine gentleman. Whenever he was on her side, he would not let her experience the slightest inconvenience. And what's more, he was not half-hearted while performing his duty. He escorted her with manner; he courted her with kindness; and he showed such devotion more than she could ever ask. He was, to sum it up, the manifestation of everything a woman could dream of.

When he officially introduced her to his friends as his official girlfriend, Cornelia congratulated them with sincere smile. And, strangely enough, this did not break Gilbert's heart. Instead, he worried in case it was Nonette who felt devastated. Since when he thought about the Knight of Nine more than his princess and his country?

Time flew. With Gilbert, Nonnette's days became her sweetest memories, while her nights, her wildest dreams. During the past four weeks, their life felt like fireworks — beautiful but transient. Tonight was the last moment before the time was up.

After a passionate bedding session, she said, 'Hold me more!' and clung onto him. _Hold me like you've never done before, for you'll never hold me again when the sun rises._

However, when the sun did rise, he did not leave her side. When she rose from the bed, he encircled his arms around her waist and kissed her backside all over, from top to bottom. 'Stay with me today?'

'Yes.'

He took her from behind, embracing her and kissing the crook of her neck while he did. Today was their last day together. She did not suppress her moans; she wanted him to know how much pleasure she felt when he was inside her.

After the short interlude of brunch, he pounded her onto the mattress again and they spent the day in bed. Late in the afternoon, he asked, 'Do you fancy going to the lake?'

_So that's where he is going to end this. _'Yes.' _My love._

The lake of Gilbert's choosing was indeed breathtaking. It was the beginning of autumn. With the last ray of sunset, she could still perceive fallen leaves of crimson and gold floating on the water surface. Then, after the sun sank below the horizon, fireflies began emerging one after another like winged lamplights in the dark.

There was nobody else but themselves on the lake precinct, and yet, a single boat could be found at the edge of the lake, which he then used to carry her across the lake. No words were exchanged between them as he rowed. He was obviously nervous; she thought it best to let their last moment be filled with serenity.

_He has been such a good lover. If only he could be mine for the rest of my life... No, I mustn't bother him more than this! _

When they got further into the middle of the bayou, fireworks began to appear in the sky. Not just any fireworks either; they formed 'Would you marry me, Nonette Enneagram?' in a heart-shaped enclosure.

After a few seconds, the fireworks died down. Nonette was speechless still and Gilbert seemed even more nervous. Nevertheless, he took a small box from his pocket and presented her the wedding ring. He did not hear her 'By all means, yes!' reply until he felt a pair of arms flinging around his neck.

As the two of them comforted each other in a long-lingering embrace, he whispered to her, '_Se erao._' He heard her chuckling mildly, and continued, 'They said Classical Greek was your best subject next to fencing in the academy.' 'They who?' Gilbert had to swallow before answering, 'Princess Cornelia.' Nonette smiled and stoke her fiancé's hair. '_Te amo._' Now it became his turn to smile as he heard her reply, 'They said Latin was your speciality.' 'They who?' 'Princess Cornelia, of course.'

* * *

You have probably guessed that the Latin phrase '_te amo_' is the origin for the Italian phrase '_ti amo_' which means 'I love you.' Well, ''_se erao_" means the same thing, although words like ''_agapo_" or ''_philo_" are more frequently used. As far as I know, these three words mean 'I love', but '_philo_' is usually used in non-romantic context, for example the love for one's country. Although in Modern Greek, people say 'sagapo' to describe love in romantic context, the Ancient Greek word '_agapo_' can also be used more universally, like the love of God for humankind, for instance. Therefore, I am left with '_erao_', which means 'I love' or 'I desire' (erotically).


	3. Anya x Jeremiah

This chapter's warning: sorry, this chapter contains neither angst nor citrus, just some kisses. The village where Jeremiah's dwells (as a farmer) remains unidentified in the canon series, so I just call it 'Avebury' in this fanfic.

* * *

CHAPTER III

**The Field of Dreams: Anya Alstreim x Jeremiah Gottwald**

The sun shone blazingly on the clear summer sky. For the oranges in the field, this was an ideal weather. For himself, nonetheless, this was a bit too warm. Wiping the sweat drops on his eyebrows, Jeremiah took a god look at the sky without glaring at the sun. He missed one girl whom he knew he must not have — the girl who was currently three hundred miles away from him, smiling at her mobile phone.

'I'm thinking of resigning from the military and volunteered to be a Red Cross member. Kallen finally accepts my love; she'll be happier if I supply the medicines for victims of war rather than making war casualties.' was what appeared on the screen. Her best friend, Gino Weinberg, had just sent her an e-mail complete with all the relevant emoticons.

Anya typed back, 'Congratulation! I'm so happy for you. Now it's my turn to "_persuade_" Orenji-kun. May I borrow an item from Weinberg's private collection?'

She was barely seventeen; he was nearly thirty. They both were aware of this. In fact, this was the reason they didn't hook up to each other until now.

After Zero Requiem, Nunnally became the Empress of Holy Britannia with Schneizel as her prime minister. Royal pardon was granted to all surviving Knights of Round, all the remaining Black Knights, and all the scientists involved. Even so, undesiring to serve anyone other than Marianne and Lelouch, Jeremiah resigned. He was now an ordinary farmer.

With Marianne' existence completely disappearing from her mind, Anya no longer intend to keep her Knight of Six title. After all, Knightmare piloting had always been the love of Marianne's life, not Anya's. What was, then, the thing that captivated Anya Alstreim — the queen of apathy?

Sports? No.

Singing? Dancing? Still no.

What about a certain man who was clad with Geass Canceller and Cybernetic Eye ‒ the one who restored her memories and tended her battle wounds? Well, the answer to that question would be … yes!

The problem was, he only saw her as a child — an immature teenage girl, at best. How could she expect him to answer her feeling this way?

###

That night, the stars twinkled brightly to keep the serene moon's company. The owls hooted from their tree branches. The bats hunted for any small animals they could find. Nothing out of the ordinary happened to the village of Avebury, except for…

'It's a Sutherland!'

'What's a knightmare frame doing in our village?'

'Besides, shouldn't that model be out of production at present?'

'Maybe its pilot is an enemy who stole a Britannian knightmare frame!'

Being a small village with no military force, Avebury was immediately panic-stricken by the mere presence of the single knightmare. Every villagers, old and young, was debating whether to run for their dear lives or stay together and fight back with farming equipments. After long argument, they seemed to resolve on the latter option; there were many of them but one opponent only, after all.

At any rate, they created enough ruckuses to wake Jeremiah up. Craning his neck over the window, he perceived nearly the entire villagers chasing a single Sutherland over the fields with flashlights and hoes and other farming tools in their hands.

_Is the Sutherland's weaponry broken? It should have been possible for the knightmare pilot to subjugate such a small village, if he or she wanted to. _

Jeremiah came out from his cottage and joined the crowd. He carried no weapon, for he did this out of pure curiosity. As soon as the Sutherland spotted his presence, however, he was snatched away in a flight.

'What's your purpose?' he asked when they were hundreds of feet above the ground. The villagers' houses looked like miniatures from here. He was not stupid enough to yell, 'Let go of me!'

'You,' answered the pilot.

'I beg your pardon?'

Instead of answering, the pilot landed on a cluster of stones nearby. None of these stones was high enough to conceal the knightmare, even though it was parked in kneeling position, but that was the best findable hideout at the moment.

Having put Jeremiah safely on the ground, the pilot ejected herself from the knightmare frame.

Jeremiah's stomach gave him a jolt. Stepping out from the Sutherland was Anya Alstreim. She seemed more beautiful than the last time he saw her — the time he rejected her advance and left the royal court to live as a farmer. Suppressing his own emotion, Jeremiah addressed her, 'Why did you do this? Didn't I leave you alone to be happy in this peaceful world?'

'A world without war can be called "peaceful", but a world without you can't be called "happy".'

Jeremiah stared at her, astounded. For a moment, his resolution wavered. Was this young girl _that_ serious about him? Nevertheless, the time freezing was over for both of them only seconds later; reasons returned to his senses.

'Happiness and I are two immiscible entities. I belong to war. You belong to happiness.'

'Oh, really? What do you know about _my_ war and _my_ happiness?' barked Anya.

This was the first time he ever saw her so agitated; she had always been calm and apathetic. He could almost not believe that he was indeed talking to Anya Alstreim rather than an overly emotional damsel.

'What do you know about what I feel…,' she continued, '… when you left me, you left a war within me as well. My heart was warring whether I should pursue you or let you go… should I care about your happiness or mine… From the moment I've met you, my heart can never be peaceful as the way it was. Now that I know it isn't impossible for you to love me, I want to accomplish the happiness for the both of us.'

Anya was at the verge of tears and as much as Jeremiah wanted to embrace her, he knew he mustn't. Clenching his fists, he uttered, 'That's what's called "puppy love"; you'll forget me as time goes by.'

'What if I choose not to forget you?'

But before he had any opportunity to retort, they heard the clamorous villagers on their way to capture them.

'This way!' he gestured her to follow him.

She got on the Sutherland again and flew low next to him, so that she did not leave any knightmare trail on the ground.

He led her to a barn and told her to get off from the Sutherland there. Next, he buried the knightmare frame underneath the hay. The tumultuous villagers were getting closer. There was no way out for them; they had no choice but to hide themselves behind the newly created stack

'Honestly, what have you done to anger them?' Jeremiah muttered.

'I suppose I did trample upon some of their plantations while trying to find my way to your cottage.'

'Why couldn't you come without a knightmare?'

'Because you'd just drive me away again the moment you saw me. Without a knightmare, I am just a child to you. But if I were inside one, you would at least regard me as some worthy opponent.'

At this point, the riot of villagers arrived at the barn. 'That knightmare is not here either; let's try somewhere else!'

After making sure every single one of them had gone, Anya remarked, 'I've never expected to be helped by a thief like you.'

'A thief? Excuse me, young lady, I've never stolen anything!'

She responded in her usual nonchalant tone, 'Oh yes, you have. You've verily stolen my heart.'

Jeremiah became speechless at Anya's sudden declaration, yet again. However, the young girl did not waste the chance to attack the flabbergasted man with a kiss. She caught him by both forearms, put them above his head, rolled him on the hay, and perched her body on top of his.

Jeremiah's eyes widened with even more shock. Her kiss was as unsophisticated as a first kiss could be … and yet, everything became so silent and still. The earth stopped rotating … no, it stopped from existing! To where had the ground and the ceiling disappeared? He could no longer find them. He could only find a girl named Anya Alstreim, nothing else. And in that moment she became his everything.

At last, Anya broke the kiss in need for air. She never kissed anyone before and did not know that there was no need to hold her breath throughout the entire kiss. However, she was not the only one who had not breathed just now. While panting, he started to realise how foolish he was to get his breath choke in his own throat by a mere teenager's kiss! And yet, he could not deny how much he craved for more moments for their lips to meet again.

_No! This cannot be! I am old enough to be her uncle!_ Jeremiah slapped himself mentally.

He then tried to speak with censorious tone, though this ward hardly achievable, since his mind was preoccupied by the friction between her thighs and his own, with only their clothes acted as barriers. 'I can't believe you stole a kiss from me!'

But she answered with a scheming gleam, 'Would you like me to return what I stole?'

'That won't be necessary, Miss Alstreim. I‒'

'Even though I want to?' And without further ado, Anya gathered her arms around Jeremiah's neck and pressed her lips against his. Again. And, this time, there was no need for her to restrain his hands; they were no longer resisting her, but already pressed upon her back, enveloping her in an ardent embrace instead.

'Well, I suppose, if you insist.' _Farewell moral. Goodbye ethics. So long decorum._

Actually, Jeremiah's pride demanded him to give the ex-Knight of Six some kissing lesson. 'To let her taste an adult's kiss' was what he wished; unfortunately, his own kissing experiences were not that numerous. In fact, the last time he dated someone was during his academy days.

His first girlfriend, Amanda Vanderspeigle, was a living angel. Beautiful, benign, excellent in needlework, and mild mannered, she was the flower of attention among the students. Yet, she only gave her heart to one Jeremiah Gottwald. She could not, though, gave him her soul, as she withered before reaching her full bloom due to typhoid fever.

When Jeremiah finally was able to move on twenty months later, his next girlfriend, Nicoletta Barboni, was a year older than him. Still, this did not bother the two of them. After all, she was gorgeous, blue-blooded, smart and punctual. She would have been a perfect candidate for his future wife if only she had not been faithless enough to sleep with several other guys behind his back.

Martine Devereaux, his third girlfriend, was stunningly pretty — the prettiest girl he'd ever met in life thus far. She possessed no special traits when it came to skills, but this was not what troubled him. They would have got along well if she had not demanded all his time to be exclusively hers.

After they parted ways, Jeremiah decided to waste no time in courtship. Instead, he thought, that his smooth career path would enable him to get the wife of his dream. Thus, he devoted his time for study and never glimpsed for any partner. He could easily _order_ a female subordinate to be his bride when needed and he had set his eyes upon Viletta Nu for that purpose. At least, this what he used to have in mind. Nonetheless, all his plans shattered in the hand of a single man — the man of miracles known as "Zero".

Nonetheless, those were things for his past. At present, there was this petite lady with certain martial charm that had snatched away his heart — even though she told him it was he who had captured hers instead. Well, this could only mean that they shared mutual affection and he was not going to let the precious feeling slip away from their lives. They used to be knightmare pilots, fighters, yet there was far more to this world than war.

Dawn started to creep over the horizon and painted the sky with its rosy colour. The two of them walked back to his cottage, Anya ambled in front. On the way, Jeremiah noticed some wild daisies along the road.

_Daisy. _Bellis perennis_. __Fields of war. How befitting for an ex-Knight of Six!_

He bent to pick one of them, and then entwined its stalk into a circle — a ring with a single daisy flower as its ornament.

'Hold on,' He strode towards her and placed the ring of daisy onto her ring finger, 'In a few more years, if your feeling for me is still unchanged, will you walk the aisle with me?'

'Silly; there's no way my feeling for you remain unchanged after a few more years.' She paused to examine his nervous face, then continued after a smile, 'It's getting stronger day by day.' With these words spoken, she landed another kiss on Jeremiah's lips.

Hand-in-hand, the couple continued walking home. In his mind, Jeremiah pictured their older selves coming out from the cottage, watching their kids playing among the blanket of orange and green — their field of dreams.

THE END


End file.
